News blog

Eyjafjallajökull (set to music)

say what.jpgFurther to yesterday’s blog post, there’s still no consensus over whether the volcanic ash that has grounded most of Europe’s planes will actually damage aircraft.

The Eyjafjallajökull (literally: island mountain glacier) volcano in Iceland continues to spew forth the ash that has sabotaged many people’s travel plans, although increasing numbers of newspapers are now running articles accusing authorities of overreacting in response to the eruption. This is despite the UK’s Met Office confirming that NATO F16 fighter jets flying over Europe have suffered engine damage due to the volcanic ash (a Finnish F-18 also reported damage).

The University of Iceland’s Institute of Earth Sciences had confirmed that GPS measurements around Eyjafjallajökull show “deflation associated with the eruption”. It was hoped that the volcano might have moved out of the ash-hurling phase and into the more airplane-friendly magma phase (Icelandic Met Office)

But more ash has been forthcoming. The UK Met Office also says eruptions continued last night, with “debris being emitted up to 4 to 5 km for much of the time”.

Of course, what you really want to know is how to pronounce the name of that thing. NPR provides some helpful audio clips, but for the full experience check out the musical Eyjafjallajökull tributes below the fold.


UPDATE: And how not to say it… “A dance remix of Sandi Toksvig pronouncing the word “Eyjafjallajökull” on the Radio 4 News Quiz, 16 April 2010.

UPDATE 2: See also: “Bring It Baby, Eyjafjallajokull Rap,”, from NPR.

Image: Ash plume from Eyjafjallajökull / NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC.

Comments

  1. annodomini77 said:

    “4 The chariots storm through the streets, rushing back and forth through the squares. They look like flaming torches; they dart about like lightning.” (Bible, Nahum 2:4)

    "16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (Bible, New Testament, John 3:16)

    Report this comment Cancel report
    Your details

    Please confirm the words below

    In order to reduce spamming, this process ensures you are a real person and not an automated program.

Comments are closed.